Heroes come from the people:Seventy-year old takes to walls to record his life and reflections

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七旬老人生前将一生和心事写满

Seventy-year old takes to walls to record his life and reflections

张福青老人生前的房间 （受访者供图）Late Zhang Fuqing's room, photo by the interviewee

年轻时的张福青（右）在祖屋前Young Zhang Fuqing (right) in front of his family home

院子里的杏花已开放Apricot trees in the yard are currently in bloom

摄影师蔡山海拍下的文字Zhang’s writings, photographed by Cai Shanhai

张宏刚在父亲写满字的屋子前Zhang Honggang in front of his father's house where the walls are covered in writings

张福青老人的遗嘱Zhang Fuqing's will

极目新闻记者 沈外 唐佳燕

翻译：刘佳铭 赵燕鸽 陶然（湖北大学）

Reporters: Shen Wai, Tang Jiayan, JIMU News

Translators: Liu Jiaming, Zhao Yan’ge, Tao Ran (Hubei University)

一个普通人，身后可以在世上留下怎样的痕迹？

What can an ordinary person leave behind in the world?

2024年清明节，独立摄影师蔡山海自驾经过山西代县峨囗镇上高陵村，遇到一户山西农家小院里正在办葬礼，出于对当地风俗的好奇，蔡山海走进了这个院落。

During the Qingming Festival in 2024, Cai Shanhai, a freelance photographer, noticed a funeral being held in a farmyard while driving through the Gaoling Village of Shanxi Province. Out of curiosity about local customs, Cai Shanhai walked into this yard.

他惊讶地发现，这座外表不起眼的小院里，墙上、门框上乃至房梁上，都是去世老人留下的字迹，工整清秀，内容从农事、借款等琐事到“宇宙到底有多大”等追问，落款均为“张福青”。蔡山海被老人所写的内容感动，于是拍下这些字迹发表在社交媒体上，引来超过7万人点赞，称老人把日子过成了诗。

Tucked within this seemingly inconspicuous courtyard, he was surprised to find neatly and meticulously written writings all over the walls, door frames and even beams. These were all written by the deceased who once lived here. The writings covered a range of topics, from daily trivialities, like farming and loans, to philosophical questions like “How big is the universe?”. All of them were signed “Zhang Fuqing”. Cai Shanhai was moved by these writings, which he photographed and posted online, receiving over 70,000 likes. Netizens said, this old man truly turned his mundane life into poetic verses.

写下这些文字的老人生前是个怎样的人？为何会留下这满屋的文字？

What was he like? Why did he write on the walls of his house?

4月11日，极目新闻记者辗转联系上老人的家属，这位普通又不平凡农村老人的一生逐渐清晰：他叫张福青，年少时读过书，但做了一辈子农民。他想去的地方很多，每年买地图，记下新开通的每一条高铁，却在晚年得了冠心病，独自一人照顾患精神病的老伴。

Jimu News reporters contacted the elderly man's family on April 11. The ordinary yet remarkable life of an old farmer was no longer a mystery: his name is Zhang Fuqing. He had received education from an early age, and spent his entire life as a farmer. He dreamt of travelling places and each year he would buy maps, noting down every new high-speed rail that was launched. However, in his later years, he suffered from coronary heart disease and was the sole caretaker of his wife who had a mental illness.

在这个不起眼的北方村庄，张福青一边翻修祖屋、干农活，一边在村民异样的眼光中，用毛笔在砖墙上、门窗上写下看似无用的文字。他把房屋当作书写对象，时而高谈阔论，时而喃喃自语。这一写，将近20年。

In this humble northern village, Zhang Fuqing renovated his family home and did farm work. Fellow villagers would shoot him judgmental glances as he wrote seemingly useless words on the brick walls, doors and windows with a brush. For 20 years, these walls became pages where he recorded his thoughts, and every so often he would mumble to himself as he wrote his reflections.

守住祖屋的人

The guardian of the family house

“每年春末，上房清扫干浮柴，利雨水。连阴雨后，上房用素灰泥封实，防漏。地下水管每年春天应用油上一次，防生锈。上冬时，要挖粪便，给两个地窖口上防冻。夏前秋中时分，给猪圈上凉栅，防止猪受热生病。冬天，给猪圈上塑料布栅栏，防冻保热，猪快长。冬天下雪后，上平房扫雪。喂狗，夜锁大门防盗。”

“At the end of spring, he would clear dry firewood on the roof to drain the rain. If it rained for several days, he had to seal the roof with mud to prevent leakage. Underground water pipes had to be oiled once a year in the spring to prevent rust. In the winter, manure had to be dug, and the two cellars had to be prepped for winter to prevent freezing. Before summer or in the middle of fall, he had to install an open fence along the pig pen to prevent pigs from overheating and contracting illnesses. While in the winter, he had to install a plastic sheet fence around the pig pen to preserve heat, prevent freezing and ensure the pigs’ steady growth. Following snowstorms, he also needed to climb to the rooftop and clear the snow. At night, he had to feed the dogs and lock the gate.”

这是一栋四合院式的院子，坐北朝南，砖墙砌成一层小平房，面积足有五百平方米。东房为客房，靠近马路，西房为猪圈和杂物间，中间是正院。张福青和妻子杜中秀就住在正院西边的房间。在山西东北部的代县，这样的院落再寻常不过，但对于张福青而言，这是祖上传下来的宝贝。

This south-facing antique-style courtyard covers five hundred square meters,with brick walls forming a single story house. The east room, nearest to the road, serves as a guest room, while the west room doubles as a pig pen and storage space. In the center lies the main courtyard. Zhang Fuqing and his wife, Du Zhongxiu, lived in the room on the west side of the main courtyard. In Daixian County in northeastern Shanxi Province, such courtyards are very typical. But for Zhang Fuqing, it is a cherished legacy passed down from his ancestors.

张福青的大儿子张宏刚在此长大，父亲常常念叨，说这间屋子从祖上传下来，至今已有百年历史。

Zhang Honggang, the eldest son of Zhang Fuqing's, grew up here. His father often reminisced, stating that this house has a history of over a hundred years, passed down from their ancestors.

清朝末年，张福青的祖父从河北来到山西代县峨囗镇上高陵村，白手起家经商，曾是当地的大户人家，建造了这座祖屋。因膝下无子，老人领养了张福青的父亲。张福青的父亲8岁时，祖父病故，祖母随后也去世。

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Fuqing's grandfather migrated here from Hebei. Starting from scratch, he built a successful business and became a prominent figure in the local community. He then constructed their family house. With no biological children, the elderly man adopted Zhang Fuqing's father. When Zhang Fuqing's father was 8 years old, his grandfather passed away due to illness, followed by his grandmother.

张福青生于1947年，是父亲再娶妻子所生，母亲从聂营镇改嫁而来，张福青在家中排行老四，上有两兄一姐。他是母亲的独子，长大时父亲已年迈，于是便留下来孝敬父母，从此守了这间祖屋。后来，祖父留下的房屋被修路拆分，张福青现住的房屋是其中一部分。

Born in 1947, Zhang Fuqing was the son of his father’s second wife, who remarried from Nieying Town. He was the fourth child in his family, with two step-older brothers and one stepsister. Being his mother’s only son and as his father aged, he chose to stay behind to care for his parents and consequently became the guardian of the family house. Over time, the house left by his grandfather was divided due to road construction, and the house where Zhang Fuqing lived is a portion of it.

张宏刚记得，1998年，父亲张福青开始一边修缮房屋，一边在砖墙上写字。这些文字中出现频率最多的，是关于房屋修缮的内容。

Zhang Honggang recalled that, in 1998, his father began repairing the house while writing words onto the brick walls. The most recurring theme in these writings was the ongoing renovations.

张福青在房屋基石上记载：2005年4月23日，福青仅用24天，翻新这房，开支8000元。2011年，安装窗帘、彩钢瓦架栅，买回一火炉，大门上安装一双挂灯笼架。2017年冬天，厕所污水结冰，安装便桶与柴房……

Zhang Fuqing recorded on the cornerstone of the house: On April 23, 2005, Fuqing renovated this house in just 24 days, spending 8000 yuan. In 2011, various improvements were made, including the installation of curtains, color steel tiles, the purchase of a stove, and the mounting of a pair of lantern holders on the front door. In the winter of 2017, when the toilet sewage froze, a toilet bowl and a woodshed were installed...

转折发生在2008年。张福青患上了冠心病，老伴患上了精神分裂症。张福青一边吃药，一边照料无法正常交流的老伴。2018年，张福青因病情加重住进医院。

2008 marked a turning point, as Zhang developed coronary heart disease, and his wife was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Despite his own health issues, he cared for his wife, who struggled to communicate. In 2018, he was hospitalized due to worsening health.

维修房墙变得困难，诸多日常事务开始需要请邻居代劳。墙上的字句记下了他的心有余而力不逮：“将来盖西房时再加高墙九层砖，可配上东房高度。出椽务必盖出地窖口，比东房室里要深1米……这也许是我福青的梦话而已！”

As repairing the house walls became increasingly challenging, everyday tasks required help from neighbors. His words on the wall reflected his frustration, “In the future, when building the west wing, add nine layers of bricks to the higher wall, matching the height of the east wing. When constructing the roof, be sure to cover the cellar entrance, extending 1 meter deeper than the rooms in the east wing... Perhaps these are just dreams of mine!”

直到去世之前，张福青才认为房屋已建设完美，“希后代每年清明扫房垅，泥漏房处，冬扫小西房雪，鼠洞，鸟窝，鸽居点，不放燃火物，防洪水用大门封进法。”随后又心有不甘：“77岁，我想修墙，加高二尺及泥后墙面，用砖1600块。”

It was not until before his passing that Zhang believed the house was impeccably constructed. He hoped that future generations would continue the tradition of maintaining the house meticulously. Yet, there was still a lingering sense of regret: “At 77, I want to repair the walls, add two feet in height, and plaster the back wall with 1600 bricks.”

看似无用的文字

Unpretentious words

张宏刚至今还记得，父亲在世时在墙上写字的场景——他拿起毛笔蘸好墨水，想起来就开始写。有时支起木梯维修房梁，半途中想到什么，就在房梁上写。年纪大了，腰椎难以支撑，一句话要断断续续写好几次。写好后刷一层清漆，防止字体因日晒雨淋磨损。

Zhang Honggang still recalls his late father’s habit of writing on the walls — he would dip a brush in ink and begin to note down his thoughts at any given moment. Sometimes, while repairing the house beams, he would pause to jot down ideas directly onto the wood. As age caught up his lumbar spine weakened, he often had to write a sentence in fragments, repeating it several times. Once finished, he would apply a layer of varnish to prevent the words from fading due to sun and rain.

字迹开始是出现在墙上，后来逐渐蔓延到门楣上、窗棂上，乃至房梁上、烟囱旁。再后来，新字又覆盖了旧字。

The writings initially only adorned the walls but gradually spread to the lintels, window frames, and eventually the beams and chimney. Over time, new writings covered older ones.

上高陵村的乡亲们，早对张福青家中的文字习以为常，“写那些玩意儿俺们也看不懂”。在他们眼里，张福青一辈子就是一个普通农民，种四五亩玉米土豆和红薯，只有一点和大家不一样，就是爱在房屋上写东西。

The villagers grew accustomed to the writings in Zhang Fuqing’s home, though they admitted, “We can’t understand anything he writes.” In their eyes, Zhang Fuqing was simply an ordinary farmer who cultivated four or five mu of corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. The only peculiar habit he had was writing on the house.

“他就是写给我们（后代）看的，就是怕我们看不见。”回忆起父亲这不寻常的举动，张宏刚说父亲性格向来如此，做事“特别”，不顾忌他人的看法，“他一生坎坷，却从不叫苦。”

“He wrote it all for us (descendants), because he feared that we wouldn’t see it.” Recalling his father’s unusual behavior, Zhang Honggang said that his father had always been “special” in his actions, disregarding others’ opinions. “Despite life’s hardships, he never complained.”

上世纪50年代，张家家道中落。祖父母勉力维持这个家，坚持送三个孩子上学，张福青在私塾读书到十七八岁，是当时村里少有的“高小生”。后来因为种种原因，他却并未进一步求学，而是开始务农。“他们（父母）勤心供我读书，我却不才，未能成文达仕。”张福青曾自陈。

In the 1950s, the Zhang family faced adversity. His grandparents struggled to support the family and ensuring all three children received an education. Zhang Fuqing studied in a private school until he was seventeen or eighteen, a rare “school graduate” in the village at that time. However, for various reasons, he did not further his education but instead turned to farming. “My parents worked hard to put me through school, but I lacked the skills to excel further.” Zhang Fuqing once confessed.

郭丽美曾主编张氏族谱，她记得张福青对修族谱一事极为热心。在族谱中，张福青自述婚姻坎坷，一生三娶妻室，曾一度心灰意冷。第二任妻子生下大儿子张宏刚后撒手人寰，白发苍苍的母亲催他再娶，这才遇到最后一任妻子杜中秀。杜中秀生下次子张宏英，至此一家才其乐融融，幸福美满。

Guo Limei once oversaw the editing of the Zhang family genealogy and recalled Zhang Fuqing’s enthusiasm for this task. In the genealogy, Zhang Fuqing detailed the twists and turns of his marital journey, having been married three times and feeling despondent at one point. Tragically, his second wife passed away after giving birth to their eldest son, Zhang Honggang. Under his elderly mother’s encouragement to remarry, Zhang met his final wife, Du Zhongxiu. Du Zhongxiu gave birth to their second son, Zhang Hongying, a great source of joy to the family.

张宏刚回忆，尽管一辈子都是农民，父亲却极其重视文化和教育。13岁时，张宏刚要到县里上初中，路途遥远，父亲特意游说同村好友的儿子也一同去，后来又支持张宏刚上高中。这件事，张福青极得意，频在砖墙上提起。张宏刚还记得，小时候家里穷，父亲却喜欢看电视，每每带着自己到别人家蹭电视看。1989年父亲卖种子挣了点钱，第一件事就是买回了一台电视机。

Zhang Honggang recalled that despite being a farmer all his life, his father placed great emphasis on culture and education. At the age of thirteen, Zhang Honggang went to junior high school in the county, which was miles away from his home. So his father persuaded a friend's son from the same village to go with him and later supported Zhang Honggang’s high school education. Zhang Fuqing was extremely proud of this, often recounting it on the brick walls. Zhang Honggang also remembers that when the family was poor, his father enjoyed watching TV and would often take him to other people's homes to watch TV. In 1989, when his father earned some money selling seeds, the first thing he did was purchase a television.

在正厅，张福青在白纸上写下——普及文化。提高文化，修身齐家，爱国护国，热爱科学，破除迷信，科学种田，安定团结，民富国强。并用塑料布蒙上，作为家训。

In the main hall, Zhang Fuqing wrote on a piece of white paper — “Popularize culture, elevate oneself through education, maintain family harmony, love and protect the country, embrace science, dispel superstitions, practice scientific farming, foster stability and unity, and contribute to the prosperity and strength of the nation.” He covered it with plastic sheeting, as a family’s guiding motto.

在这寻常的北方院落，老人也曾思绪飞扬，心怀宇宙万物：“宇宙有多大呀？太阳表面温度6000℃，中心1500万℃，体积是地球130万倍，重量是地球33万倍。飞机飞到太阳20年才能到。月亮体积有地球四十八分之一，星星有2000亿颗……”

In this ordinary Northern yard, the elderly man’s thoughts often soared, contemplating the vastness of the universe: “How immense is the universe? The sun’s surface temperature is 6,000 degrees Celsius; its core reaches 15 million degrees Celsius. Its volume is 1.3 million times that of the earth, with a weight 330,000 times greater. It would take an airplane 20 years to reach the sun. The moon is one forty-eighth the size of the earth, and there are 200 billion stars……

院里的杏花与晚年

Apricot blossoms in the yard and later years

“长子定居鄂尔多斯，次子在北京海淀打工，两子各奔东西，都相离我俩四百多公里。我俩在家养病，由两子供生活费，欢度晚年。”

“Our eldest son settled in Ordos, while the younger one works in Haidian, Beijing. They are pursuing their own paths, each more than 400 kilometers away from us. We remain at home due to health issues, supported by our sons as we embrace our twilight years.”

大儿子张宏刚高中毕业后，独自离家去鄂尔多斯闯荡，小儿子张宏英也孤身去北京发展，一年回家几次。张福青既要照料患精神病的老伴，也要独自面对很多日常琐事：他不会给双人电褥注水、不会充话费，嘱咐两个儿子回来帮忙，或求助于邻居。去世前几年，就连打扫烟囱的事，也要请隔壁邻居帮忙。张福青不得不承认：“我71岁，老啦，用老人手机，不会交费。”

Zhang Honggang, the eldest son, ventured alone to Ordos after the graduating from high school, while the other son Zhang Hongying pursued opportunities in Beijing, returning home only a few times each year. Meanwhile, their father Zhang Fuqing had to care for his mentally ill partner and manage daily chores. He struggled with tasks like filling a water mattress or paying the phone bills, often relying on his sons or neighbors for assistance. In the years leading up to his passing, even tasks like cleaning the chimney required the help of nearby neighbors. “I’m getting older, and since I use a dumb phone I don’t know how to pay bills with it.” Zhang said.

张福青种不动地了，却依然闲不下来。2018年秋，71岁的张福青挖掉院子里的金针根，种上红姑娘，草药剪妥，白水浇杏枝。春耕掐黑虫，摘杏后，打卷叶虫药。

While physically unable to farm, Zhang Fuqing kept himself busy. By the fall of 2018, the 71-year-old uprooted daylilies from the courtyard, replacing them with alkeker. He meticulously tended to the herbs and watered the almond trees, also combating pests during spring planting and after harvesting apricots.

每年冬给杏树剪枝，春耕时上覆鸡粪。寒露后立冬前埋月季花，院内种三季黄瓜，立秋前十天种白菜，白露后种小葱菠菜。“每年杏花落，打药一次；立秋后再打一次毛虫药；花落疏果，四寸远一棵；果越大更甜；每年剪一次树枝。”普通的农事，挂在院子里各个角落，像是张福青的自我提醒，也是他对后辈的轻声叮嘱。

Every winter, he pruned the apricot trees and fertilized them with chicken manure during spring. Before the onset of winter, he would plant Chinese roses, grow cucumbers nearly year-round, plant cabbages ten days before the beginning of autumn, and scallions and spinach after the first frost in autumn. “Each year, after the apricot blossoms fall, I apply pesticides once, and a second time at the start of autumn. Thin out the fruit when the flowers fall, four inches per tree; the bigger the fruit the sweeter it is; prune the tree once a year”. Every corner of the yard is filled with these ordinary agricultural tasks, serving as reminders for Zhang, as well as gentle instructions for his descendants.

小儿子张宏英说，父亲一生最爱两样事：书法和地图。2024年春天，一场感冒夺走了他的生命。

“My father’s greatest passions in life werecalligraphy and maps.” said Zhang Hongying, the younger son.In the spring of 2024, he passed away due to a cold.

回到院子，张宏刚和张宏英才发现，父亲已将后事准备妥当。早在2018年秋，因再次住院，老人便买下晋东南壶关县产的香柏木作为寿材，并写下遗嘱：“父逝后，请宏英注重你母亲的思想波动，葬父后可找一位服侍她的人为伴，或送你们的母亲住养老院，然后请一位诚实户住我院东房开商店。父母活时已得到你们兄弟俩的孝顺，已满意，希望你们兄弟俩走在一处，团结为主。育好你们的后代，成为有孝心会团结的一家之主。”

Back in the yard, the sons discovered that their father had already made meticulous arrangements for his funeral. As early as the fall of 2018, anticipating the possibility of another hospitalization, Zhang Fuqing bought cedar wood from Huguan County in Southeast China for use in constructing his coffin. In his will, he instructed his sons, “After my passing, Hongying, please take care for your mother’s emotional well-being. Consider finding a companion to care for her, or arrange for her to reside in a nursing home. Then, ask an honest and upright man to run a store in the east room of my house. I am content with the filial piety you both have shown me during my lifetime and hope that you, my sons, will remain united. Raise your children well, becoming responsible heads of your households, characterized by love and solidarity.”

父亲去世后，张宏刚依照父亲的遗愿写下一篇忆父文：“您去世后竟然圈粉数以万计，父亲，您那颗孤傲的灵魂可以安放了。”

Following his father’s wishes, Zhang Honggang penned a memoir in his honor. “After your passing, you unexpectedly moved thousands of people. Father, may your proud soul rest in peace.”

张福青头七那天，张宏刚再次回到祖屋。房子到处都是父亲留下的遗迹。在房檐下，能看到父亲的提醒：“冬天下雪后，务必上房扫雪，把梯立放东墙土地上，人登梯上为安。如立房椽，北水泥面冻，滑梯柱，人上有危险。”跨过门槛时，门槛上写道：“防老鼠进。”

On the seventh day after his passing, the eldest son returned to the family home again. Remnants of his father’s presence lingered in every part of the house. Under the eaves, his father's reminders were still visible: “After snowfall in winter, it is essential to clear the snow from the roof. Place the ladder securely on the east wall land and climb it for safety. If you’re working on the rafters and the north cement surface is frozen, climbing the roof is dangerous.” As he crossed the threshold, a message was inscribed there: “Prevent rats from entering.”

张福青去世前，他手植的杏花尚未开放。再回来时，院子里两棵杏树已白花缀枝，清香扑鼻，开得正好。张宏刚可以想见，老父亲走过杏树下的样子。

Before Zhang Fuqing’s passing, the apricot flowers he had planted had yet to bloom. Now, upon his return, Zhang Honggang found the yard adorned with two apricot trees boasting their white blossoms, filling the air with a delightful fragrance. Zhang Honggang could almost envision his father walking beneath the blooming apricot trees.

（来源：极目新闻）

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网址：Heroes come from the people:Seventy-year old takes to walls to record his life and reflections https://www.alqsh.com/news/view/30032

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